Narrative and Other Pronoun Issues
Key Activity Objectives: • Recognizing the importance of first person pronouns in report writing • Understanding the relationship between pronouns and antecedents • Developing the skills to use proper pronouns in official reports
Introduction One of the most important qualities an officer can bring to the report writing process is clarity, or clearness. Because the report can be read by a wide variety of people who have different experiences with police activities, it is best to be as clear and precise, using everyday language, as possible. One way to guarantee that your report is easy to follow is to use proper pronouns, including the first person pronoun (“I”). Many people feel awkward about using “I” in their writing, because they have been taught in school that it is important to keep personal pronouns such as “I” or “you” in your papers. For most academic papers, this is true. However, because an offense report is directly related to your personal observations and actions, it is completely appropriate to use the first person. You do not need to refer to yourself in the third person, such as “this officer” or “this writer.” In fact, referring to yourself as “I” makes your report much easier to follow. Compare the following two examples:
Upon arrival at the scene, this officer approached the suspect and ordered the suspect out of the house. He failed to comply and became increasingly verbally uncooperative. For officer safety reasons, this officer physically removed him from the house, read the Miranda Warning and placed him in the back of this officer’s police vehicle.
Upon arrival at the scene, I approached the suspect and ordered him out of the house. The suspect did not comply and became increasingly verbally uncooperative. For officer safety reasons, I physically removed the suspect from the house, read him the Miranda Warning and placed him in the back of my police vehicle.
The second report is briefer and more to the point than the first example. The average reader or speaker does not refer to himself in the third person (“this officer”), so the use of “I” will be much more accessible to jury members. Since the reporting officer signs his or her name to the report, it will be clear to the reader who is speaking to when “I” is referenced.
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Other pronoun issues may come into play when writing reports. It is important to make clear connections between pronouns (which take the place of a person or object) and their antecedents (the object that has a relationship with the person or object).
In the English language, there are three cases of pronouns:
Subjective Pronouns (Pronouns as Subjects)
Objective Pronouns (Pronouns as Objects)
Possessive Pronouns
I Me My/mine You You Your/yours He/she/it Him/her/it His/her (hers)/it (its) We Us Our/ours They Them Their/theirs Who Whom Whose